Immortal Bestowal

After settling Liu Qing Mi's matter, everyone was exhausted.

Jiang Xue He had been observing Di Ying. After she took the Meng Mo Pearl, Bai Lu Ye and Nan Yan appeared together. The two approached to greet her, but Di Ying only gave Nan Yan a cold nod, completely ignoring her Senior Brother.

Bai Lu Ye was stunned, his gaze falling on Jiang Xue He behind Di Ying, his meaning clear: "Did you upset our little ancestor again?"

Jiang Xue He wasn't sure if he had upset her. Even while still in the dream realm, Di Ying had been a little impatient with him. He had thought that once they escaped the dream realm and were no longer affected by the Meng Mo Pearl, the situation would improve. But looking at Di Ying's silent face now, it was no different from in the dream.

On the other side, Nan Yan hesitated for a moment, still not approaching to disturb Di Ying, who was alone. Instead, she first greeted Senior Brother Hang Gu Qiu: "Senior Brother Hang, why have you traveled all the way here? Do you need any assistance?"

Hang Gu Qiu smiled and explained, then shook his head with a chuckle: "I am somewhat aware of Miss Nan's affairs in Wu Shen Palace. How could I trouble you? Fortunately, the Meng Mo Pearl has fallen into the hands of Wu Shen Palace... I congratulate your father in advance."

Nan Yan shook her head. Bai Lu Ye stood by, his gaze peculiar. Not to mention that the Meng Mo Pearl was currently in his Junior Sister's hands, and Wu Shen Palace dared not openly seize it; furthermore, Nan Yan had always been aloof and indifferent, so why was she so polite to Hang Gu Qiu? Could it be that she had seen in 'Heavenly Fate' that Hang Gu Qiu would treat her very well? But a kind person like him is good to everyone, isn't he?

This kind person had just forced a ghost to dissipate into thin air... Although Miss Liu's death was a result of her own actions and should not be blamed on Hang Gu Qiu. Bai Lu Ye pondered for a moment, then subtly moved closer to listen. At the same time, he turned his head and saw his Senior Brother taking out pastries from his Qian Kun bag to coax Di Ying.

Bai Lu Ye's mouth twitched.

Di Ying tilted her head and shook it, refusing Jiang Xue He's pastries: "Am I unhappy because I'm hungry? Do you take me for a child to raise? Can't I have another, more important reason?"

Jiang Xue He asked: "Then what is your reason?"

Di Ying lifted her chin: "Won't tell you!"

Her eyes were still fixed on his hand. He tried to offer the pastry, and she opened her mouth to take a bite, then blinked, blushing as she shirked responsibility: "You forced me to eat it!"

Jiang Xue He smiled. Though she had scolded him for no reason, he felt a sense of relief. It seemed she hadn't been possessed; she was indeed still his Junior Sister. After the incident with Liu Qing Mi, it was natural for her mood to be low.

Jiang Xue He looked down at her: "Are you tired?" He coaxed: "Do you want to sleep a little?"

His voice was deeper and softer than usual. The moment he spoke, he himself noticed the difference. He had a suspicion in his heart, but it was not convenient to pursue it at this moment. Di Ying didn't notice his voice; her heart was in turmoil. Seeing him care for her as usual, she indeed felt weary, and listlessly nodded.

Jiang Xue He stretched out his hand and took her wrist. He felt her stiffen slightly as his fingers touched her, as if she wanted to pull away. Jiang Xue He's heart tightened, a cold sensation rising within him, but he didn't show it. He paused for a moment, his fingers lightly tapping her meridians to confirm she wasn't possessed by a demonic creature or soul-snatched, then released her hand. If she rejected his touch, he would simply pull her hand through her sleeve and lead her to rest.

The others were surprised to see Di Ying sleepy. Cultivating to this realm, yet still retaining a mortal's habits? But Di Ying held the Meng Mo Pearl, making everyone wary. Seeing her listlessly leaning against Jiang Xue He, her pale face showing a hint of weakness, she looked quite pitiful.

Hang Gu Qiu suddenly tilted his head, looking towards a direction beyond the horizon, and said with a smile: "It is late. Everyone, please rest. We can discuss trivial matters tomorrow." No one objected.

The barrier of Lailiu City was broken, and a corner of the desolate mortal world, after ten years, finally reappeared. The Bi Fang bird, hidden behind clouds on a barren mountain, flapped its wings, waiting for everyone to sink deep into the dream realm woven by the Meng Mo Pearl. The Meng Mo Pearl was not inherently harmful, but it could trap people. When Nan Yan and Bai Lu Ye attacked together, it had already guessed that the pearl had issues.

The Bi Fang hid behind the mountain, gloating: "Let you all join forces to attack me! Let you bully this old man! Just taste the feeling of being trapped by the Meng Mo Pearl."

However, as dawn broke and all things were silent, the dozing Bi Fang was suddenly startled awake by a tremor that shattered the barrier. Disregarding the danger of revealing its whereabouts, it hastily extended a wisp of Divine Sense towards Lailiu City to search. It sensed its Divine Sense being detected by the immortal Elder Hang Gu Qiu, but fortunately, it was him and not some other fierce mighty figure, so the Bi Fang dared to brazenly circle once before safely retreating.

Its Divine Sense returned, and the Bi Fang wrapped itself tightly in its feathers, trembling: The dream realm was actually shattered by human intervention. How could anyone break the dream realm of the Meng Mo Pearl?

The Bi Fang had once heard the successive Demon Kings recount the origin of the Meng Mo Pearl. In ancient times, when the world was filled with demonic qi, a female Demon King caused such slaughter that the heavens and earth darkened, forcing the Demon Race to hide in the Kong Ku Sea. That female Demon King, however, crossed the sea, causing endless fear in the Demon Realm. The Demon King had to offer all treasures, swearing that the Demon Race had no alliance with the immortal sects.

That demonic empress seemed very satisfied with the oath and did not engage in widespread slaughter. She sat by the Kong Ku Sea for three days, summoned the weakest Meng Mo clan, refined the Meng Mo Pearl, and handed it to them. She said: "If you do not ally with the immortal sects, I will bestow upon you a heaven-reaching immortal art. This treasure was personally refined by me; though I am not skilled in artifact refining, with my current strength, it is not too bad. The incantation within is very close to a spell I recently created. I no longer intend to cultivate it, but I do not wish for it to be lost, so I gift it to those with karmic affinity. If anyone achieves immortality in the future, that is their fortune."

The Demon Race at that time was both joyful and worried. The Demon King had once wanted to seize the pearl, but then that demonic empress caused a great upheaval at Qing Mu Jun's ascension ceremony and died, cutting off the path to immortality, making the seizure of the pearl meaningless. The Meng Mo clan remained unremarkable throughout, never standing out. It was truly ridiculous that a dozen years ago, this clan contacted Wu Shen Palace and Yu Jing Sect to harm the Demon King... Did they think betraying the Demon King would lead to immortality?

Wait. The dream realm was broken, and a thousand years ago, that demonic empress said the cultivation method within the pearl originated from her own cultivation method... Could it be that the demonic empress's cultivation method has reappeared in the mortal world?

The Bi Fang took a deep breath, staring intently at Lailiu City. It was hesitating whether to investigate further to gain merit with the Demon King when a talisman in its Divine Sense flashed. The Bi Fang was shaken. It had just received terrible news: The Queen's cultivation went awry, she was forced into a coup by others and had perished. The great demons were vying for the throne with the Queen's eldest son, and some had heard that the Queen had a bloodline scattered in the mortal world, giving rise to ulterior motives...

The Bi Fang wept, its tears, large as beans, caused a mountain peak to collapse. It no longer had the mind to care about Lailiu City and immediately flapped its wings, flying towards the Kong Ku Sea to protect the Queen's bloodline.

The Liu family had no survivors, but the vengeful spirits and the fake general were still there. The demonic creatures locked in the dungeon were also still present. Hang Gu Qiu and the Daoists helped Wu Shen Palace deal with the aftermath. Bai Lu Ye, though uninterested, managed to glean some information. Jiang Xue He did not show himself; Bai Lu Ye understood that his Senior Brother was busy 'babysitting'. He was always afraid of Di Ying when she got angry, so he let Jiang Xue He handle it.

Di Ying remained in the old house Liu Qing Mi had arranged. Jiang Xue He helped her clean up with a Dust Dispelling Charm and then discreetly left, not forgetting to place a restriction on the door to ward off evil. He immediately went to search for Li Bu. There should have been traces of Li Bu in this matter, but besides him and Di Ying, no one knew of his existence. After the dream realm shattered, Jiang Xue He couldn't sense Li Bu's aura. He followed the traces but only found an empty house. He smiled bitterly; perhaps Li Bu had completed his task and, fearing pursuit, had fled. He sent a sound transmission talisman to Li Bu, though he knew the man probably wouldn't bother to look at it.

Jiang Xue He returned to his room and began to deal with his own problems. After Liu Qing Mi's death, the Jing Ren Charm began to loosen its grip. He immediately entered seclusion to resolve the charm. It wasn't until noon the next day that he completed it. His voice had recovered, the wound on his neck had disappeared, and his complexion was much brighter. Jiang Xue He sat on the bed, looking at the wisp of black qi escaping from his fingertip, a surge of joy in his heart. At this rate, one day he would shed everything and appear before Di Ying in his true form. Didn't she like handsome men?

Thinking of Di Ying, his heart was filled with joy. But just as his emotions fluctuated, the Jing Ren Charm seized the opportunity to invade his soul. Jiang Xue He leaned against the bed, enduring the pain of his soul being devoured. The pain reminded him that Di Ying brought him unusual emotions. He liked this feeling; it reminded him that he was alive, not a soulless corpse. He toyed with the Jing Ren Charm for a while until it weakened considerably. Even the Jing Ren Charm was terrified of someone with such a masochistic streak as him.

Jiang Xue He tidied his clothes, put on a veiled hat, and went to find Di Ying. He wanted her to know that his voice had recovered, he wanted to coax her into happiness, and he also wanted to find a way to take something from her to "see the object and remember the person."

On the way, he met Bai Lu Ye. Through a sound transmission, he asked about Di Ying's situation. Bai Lu Ye recounted that heavenly lightning had struck the tree in her courtyard last night, waking her up and causing her to scold for half a day. Jiang Xue He secretly wondered, was Bai Lu Ye living right next door to her? So close, was it to prevent him from seeking her out at night? But he and Di Ying had already...

Jiang Xue He said nothing, only telling Bai Lu Ye not to blame himself for her tribulation. Bai Lu Ye was touched by his Senior Brother's care. He stepped aside for Jiang Xue He, thinking that only his Senior Brother's temperament could endure his Junior Sister's tantrums. But thinking of Jiang Xue He's identity as a remnant of the Duan Sheng Dao, he felt regret. He wondered if his constant interference had been in vain.

Jiang Xue He stood before Di Ying's room, softly calling: "Little Ying, are you awake?"

There was no answer from within. He patiently coaxed, even offering to help her comb her hair and dress, but it remained silent. Jiang Xue He grew suspicious. He touched the restriction on the door and discovered it wasn't the one he had placed last night. He used force to break the restriction and pushed the door open.

Inside the room, clothes were strewn about, the bedding was wrinkled, and half-eaten lily cakes lay by the pillow. The space was filled with her sweet fragrance, but Di Ying was nowhere to be seen. He caught the lingering aura on the broken restriction and realized it was Di Ying's crooked, sloppy drawing. She was openly provoking him: "I tricked you, I ran off to play, what can you do about it?"

Jiang Xue He was so angry his body swayed. What could he do to her? This time, he absolutely had to show some temper. It seemed coaxing was useless; where should he strike to make her remember for a long time?